Most people would agree that three-day weekends are glorious. Barton students can make a choice to treat themselves to one every week as Barton rolls out its "four-day learning week" for select career technical education courses beginning fall 2012.

HOISINGTON -The Hoisington Labor Day Committee announces that registration is now open for the Labor Day Royalty Pageant Contest to be held in conjunction with the Annual Labor Day activities. A Labor Day Prince and Princess will be named during the Labor Day Weekend and the winners will each receive a cash award of $100, a $100 savings bond, carnival ride tickets and picture frame memento.

HOISINGTON - The Safe Routes to School project grant, which provides around $250,000 to improve sidewalks and American with Disabilities compliant ramps throughout the community, will begin this fall or winter, according to Barry McManaman, Kansas Department of Transportation area engineer.

Times are tough and exuberant in the marsh these days. For the fish and crustaceans that require water-- it is a critical time and many will perish. There is essentially no water in 85-90% of the Cheyenne Bottoms. Huge numbers of birds have moved on north-- either due to their migration instincts, or by the necessity to find food. For the shore birds, gulls, herons, Ibis, avocets and black-necked stilts and some of the ducks-- it is a feast of gigantic proportions.

GREAT BEND – Doreen Viola Boor, 66, died May 31, 2012, at her home in Great Bend. She was born Sept. 11, 1945, at Quinter, the daughter of Titus and Mary Matilda (Herzog) Kuntz. She married Lawrence "Larry" Boor May 5, 1966, at Great Bend. A bookkeeper for Johnson Electric and Alfalfa Pellets and having worked for Ellinwood Packing for 23 years, she was a Great Bend resident since 1963, coming from Grainfield.

MIAMI (AP) - The Miami Heat know what's coming from the Boston Celtics. "Their all," Dwyane Wade said. That's what usually happens when one team is fighting to save its season - and in this case, the Big Four era in Boston might be at stake as well. The NBA Eastern Conference finals shift to Boston tonight for Game 3, with the Heat holding a 2-0 lead after staving off perhaps the Celtics' best shot to win a classic. Boston's core of Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen combined to score 96 points in Game 2 ...